23.

Z OEY

“Didn’t we discuss this?” Lark asked as she walked into the waiting room followed by Rain and Gracy.

“What are you doing here?” The three women had obviously been woken up and driven straight to the hospital, and I couldn’t help but smile when I saw that Rain was still wearing her silk sleep bonnet and Lark’s shoes didn’t match. Gracy had three spots on her face and on closer inspection, I saw that they were the pimple stickers she had recommended to me a few months ago. “Who called you? You guys didn’t have to come!”

“Corey heard it on the radio, and he called Marley, Marley called her parents, who just happened to be out of town with my parents, and my mom called me,” Rain explained.

“Garvey told me not to call anyone because he shouldn’t be here long, but that was two hours ago.”

“What’s wrong with him?”

“He’s got a boxer’s fracture on both hands, and one of them is going to need surgery. So, while he’s sedated, they’re going to remove all the dirt and gravel in his legs.”

“I thought someone broke into your house. How did he get gravel in his legs if he . . .”

I shook my head to interrupt Lark and told her what happened, and she let her mouth drop open in shock.

“Holy shit, Zozo. Are you okay?”

“I’m perfectly fine,” I assured them. “I don’t have a scratch on me. I wrestled with one guy, but I almost had him choked out when Garvey hit him in the forehead with an aluminum bat.”

“Whoa,” Rain said in awe. “That’s just . . . Whoa.”

“I know, right? He got one of them in our bedroom and then came to rescue me. Once that was taken care of, he gathered that there was a third, and he caught up to him in the middle of the road. That’s where the gravel came from.”

“Damn, the Forrester is still there, isn’t it?” Gracy asked.

“Yeah, it is. I didn’t even realize he was injured until the cops mentioned his hands looked like hamburger meat and I saw there was blood running down his legs.”

Rain laughed before she said, “Holy shit. He’s better than a guard dog, isn’t he?”

Always business, Lark asked, “Who were they, and how did they get into your house?”

I blew out a breath as I shook my head. I finally said, “I made it easy for them to get in. I opened the front door to let a breeze come in while I worked around the house and . . .”

“In the middle of the fucking night?”

“It was about an hour before dawn,” I explained. “But, yes, I turned off the alarm and left the door open before I walked back into the laundry room to fold clothes.”

“Holy shit,” Rain whispered.

“But who were they?” Lark asked again.

“Remember the guy who cussed at me that day in the courthouse?” I asked. When they nodded, I said, “He was the guy I had in a chokehold. I guess the other two were his buddies. They got high and decided to come get revenge or something. Who knows what they were thinking?”

“They were high. They probably didn’t even know what they were thinking.”

“Are you okay?” Lark asked as she settled her hand on my shoulder and gave me a reassuring squeeze.

“I’m fine. This just means that I won’t have to testify at his trial.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about,” Lark chided. “They were in your house to hurt you. I know that will fuck a person up.”

“This isn’t the first time some asshole has come after the cop that arrested them, and I know it won’t be the last. Luckily, Garvey was there, and I’m okay.”

“I called Brawley to see what the house looked like, and he said you’re gonna need to do some remodeling and probably get a professional in to take care of things.”

“I regretted having carpet installed in my bedroom when they built the house, so now’s the perfect opportunity to get the flooring that I like.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Gracy asked.

“Right now, I’m more than okay because I’m safe and so is Garvey. He was worried that the cops would run his background and take him in even though it was very obviously a case of home invasion.”

“Sadly enough, he’s going to have that worry every time he encounters the police in their official capacity, I’m sure.”

“Probably,” I agreed before Lark gave me one more squeeze and then took her hand away. “Wanna hear something funny?”

“What?”

“Garvey did all that while he was naked.”

“Huh?” all three women asked at the same time.

“He was naked. The first guy attacked as Garvey was getting out of bed to come check on me since I wasn’t in bed, and he jumped into action.”

“Holy shit,” Lark whispered. “It makes sense, though. I didn’t sleep with clothes on until Bax and the kids moved in.”

“We don’t,” Rain said with a shrug.

“Yeah, well, he beat a man to death in the middle of the street while he was buck naked, and then my brother had to wrestle him off the guy.”

Lark and Rain giggled, and Gracy smiled brightly before she said, “I’m not sure how, but I’m going to find a way to commemorate that for Zane so he won’t ever be able to forget it.”

“I know, right? He told Garvey that if he said anything to anyone about it, he’d kill him, but he didn’t give me the same warning, as if I’d have paid attention to it anyway.”

“Brothers are fun,” Lark said cheerfully.

Rain laughed before she asked, “I know, right?”

◆◆◆

“Are you okay?”

I opened my eyes and found Tucker Martin standing in the doorway of my hospital room.

Zoey stood up and smiled before she leaned over and gave me a kiss. After she whispered, “I love you,” she walked over to Tucker, gave him a hug, and said, “Thanks for coming.”

“What’s going on?” I asked Tucker as he shut the door behind Zoey. “I suppose you heard what happened.”

“I did. Good job, my friend.”

“At first, I was terrified that the cops were going to take me away, but now, I’m terrified that I’m going to like it here way too much and never want to leave.”

“So, you told them you didn’t want anything for the pain?” I nodded, and Tucker shook his head. “I’ve been there, my friend, and the decision is up to you, but I want you to know that if you’ll just talk to your doctor about your fears, I’m sure they can find something to at least take the edge off without giving you that high we all crave.”

“Zoey called Spruce, and he’s going to come up here, but it’s really up to the surgeon, I think. He’s kind of a dick, so fuck him.”

Tucker burst out laughing and said, “They had to fix your hand?”

“Yeah. My right needed a few pins, so I had to have surgery. The left will heal on its own, though.”

“Well, that’s good, I suppose.” Tucker sat down in the chair Zoey had been in and asked, “How are you handling this?”

“I smelled it and wanted it so fucking bad.”

“You smelled it?”

“They must have gotten high right before they came into the house. They reeked of it, and part of me wanted to just . . . I don’t know. I didn’t have time to think about it at the moment, but I remember instantly knowing what that smell was. I don’t know if it was the craving or the adrenaline, but my heart was racing and . . . I just don’t know.”

“And yet, you’d rather lay here in pain than let them give you something to take the edge off. That says a lot, Garvey. A whole lot.”

“But is it enough?”

“Right now, at this moment, it’s going to have to be. And in an hour, we’ll check in again just like we will the hour after that. We’ll do that over and over until you’re steady again, my friend. I’ll be right here with you to make sure we don’t lose track.”

“Thanks, Tucker.”

“Zoey’s my niece, you know. I should be thanking you.”

“No thanks needed. She’s the love of my life, and this doesn’t even come close to making up for what I did to her all those years ago.”

“There’s no making up for the past, Garvey. There’s just living in the here and now and doing better in the future.”

“I know.”

“Knowing it and believing it are two different animals, son.”

“You’re right, but I’m trying very hard to do both.”

◆◆◆

The first thing I noticed when I walked into the house was the smell of cleaning supplies, but then I smelled the food and knew we had company in the kitchen. I walked ahead of Zoey and rounded the corner to find my Aunt Martha and her best friend Sandra, the woman who had been like a grandmother to Zoey as we were growing up, sitting at the table.

“I could tell by the smells coming out of here that I’d find you two ladies waiting on us.”

“You know how I feel about hospital food, Garvey,” Martha said as I bent down to kiss her cheek. “Sit down, sweetheart, and let us get a good look at you.”

“Hi, Sandy,” I said as she pushed a chair out for me.

“Let me get you something to drink,” Martha said as she stood up and hurried toward the refrigerator.

“How are you feeling, son?” Sandra asked.

“I’ve been better, but I’ll make it.”

“Hello, Nana,” Zoey said as she breezed into the kitchen carrying the bag of meds we’d picked up at the pharmacy. “Hi, Martha!”

“Hello, sweet girl,” Sandra said as Zoey approached her.

Zoey wrapped her arms around Sandra from behind and gave her a big smacking kiss on the cheek before she said, “I should have known you two would be here.”

“Someone had to supervise those boys while they’re working,” Sandra grumbled. “They’d have finished two hours ago if they’d quit insulting each other and focus.”

“Who is working?” I asked.

“Dad and my uncles are back there with Zane installing the new flooring.”

“Already?” I asked.

“As soon as they released the crime scene, Martha and I came over with them to get started. We cleaned everything that needed cleaning . . .”

“Which was everything,” Zoey said with a groan as she sat down beside Sandra. “I’m ashamed of how bad it was.”

“You’ve been very busy,” Sandra excused. “We got you all caught up now, and everything’s in tip-top shape.”

“I’ll make sure and keep it that way,” Zoey promised.

“And I’ll do everything I can to help,” I said as I rested both of my casts on the table.

“You’re literally not going to lift a finger, Garvey,” Zoey warned. “You should be laying down right now instead of sitting at the table.”

“If I lay down again, my body is going to revolt,” I complained.

“He’s going to be a man about this,” Sandra said with a sigh. “You’re gonna have to bonk him over the head with something heavy just to keep him still.”

“It’s ten times worse because he’s a Forrester. None of them know how to be still when they should, but every one of them can be brought down by the sniffles,” Martha said as she set a cup down in front of me. I was happy to see that she’d already put a straw in it, and I murmured my thank you before I leaned down and took a long drink. “You’ll be good, though, won’t you, Garvey?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Look at him lying right to my face,” Martha grumbled as she walked back into the kitchen. “Are you two hungry? What can I get for you?”

“I could eat,” I admitted.

“I’m starving!” Zoey said as she hopped up to help Martha. “All these years of you telling us we shouldn’t eat hospital food made me leery, and now I can’t make myself eat it no matter how hard I try.”

“Your parents should be back any minute now,” Sandra told me as I watched Zoey and Martha work together in the kitchen. “They went to pick up some things that will help you around the house during your recovery.”

“I don’t need anything special.”

“Martha sent them to the health store to get vitamin E for your legs, and they’re going to pick up some more cups with straws that you can lift with both hands if you need to.”

“I feel like an invalid.”

“Technically, you are, but if I were you, I’d enjoy all this pampering,” Sandra said with a grin. “I know that your mom and Aunt Martha have been dying to do it since you went away, and it’s been killing them to keep to themselves since you were released.”

“I’m back now, and wild horses couldn’t drag me away.”

“Good. I’m glad to hear it.”

“The floors are finished, baseboards are reattached, paint is touched up, and the furniture is back in its place,” Sam, Zoey’s dad, announced as he walked into the kitchen and sat down. “There’s no sign of scumbag anywhere in the house.”

“Except here at the table,” Jace, Zoey’s uncle, teased before he nudged my shoulder. “It’s good to see you again, Garvey.”

“It’s good to see you, too, Jace.”

“Welcome back. I understand you’re going to be our permanent neighbor now.”

“Yessir.”

“That means that you’ll be doing your part to make sure that no one does anything out of the ordinary, like steal a car from the impound or . . .”

I laughed and interrupted, “No one is going to steal anything on my watch, I assure you.”

“That’s good to know.”

“He’s turned over a new leaf,” Sam said proudly. “It kills me to say that a month ago, I wanted to bury you in a field, and now, I owe you more than I can ever repay for saving my daughter.”

“I’d do it again a million times over just to make sure Zo’s okay.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

The front door opened, and I heard my dad’s low voice talking to Mom just before they appeared in the doorway. They were each carrying bags from the store and set them on the bar before Mom rushed around the table to give Martha and Sandra a hug. She kissed Zoey on the cheek before she did the same thing to me, and I smiled at my dad as he watched her greet us.

“How are you feeling, baby?”

“I’m not too bad. The painkillers they gave me are starting to wear off, but Zoey went by the pharmacy to pick up my prescriptions on the way home.”

“They found some meds you’re comfortable with?” Dad asked. He seemed to realize what he’d just voiced out loud and looked around, but no one took notice, so he relaxed before he quietly asked, “Do they work?”

“They do as long as I stay on top of them. Zoey has an alarm set on her phone to help me keep track.”

“I’ll make sure he stays on top of the pain,” Zoey assured my parents.

“We got a bunch of stuff to help, and I can stay here for a few days if you want.”

“I don’t know if that . . .”

“That would be wonderful, Robin,” Zoey said sincerely. “He’s a pretty whiny patient, so I’ll be happy to have someone to tag in when he gets a little too needy.”

“The whining is bad, but the stubbornness is what always gets me,” Mom said with an exasperated sigh. “What is it about these men that make them try to do things they know they shouldn’t do?”

“Hey, now,” my dad said, his brow furrowed. “I’m a wonderful patient.” Mom raised an eyebrow, and Dad seemed to shrink back before he added, “Sometimes.”

“Zozo, do you want to come take a look at what we did in the bedroom?” Sam asked as he pushed away from the table and stood up. “Let’s get your stamp of approval so Garvey can rest in there when he needs to.”

“I’m sure it’s perfect, Dad,” Zoey said as she tiptoed up to give him a kiss on the cheek. “You’re the best.”

“Did y’all hire some cleaners to come in and take care of the mess?” I asked as I looked toward the laundry room where there had been a large pool of blood. I knew that there had probably been the same mess in the bedroom and that was why they had ripped out the carpet, but I thought there may be some splatter on the walls and maybe even the ceiling.

“We took care of that,” Martha said with a dismissive wave.

“No sense in paying someone to come in and take care of a little mess. We’ve been cleaning them up for years and make quite a good team,” Sandra boasted.

“Yes, we do,” Martha agreed.

I didn’t want to know how many times these women had been in charge of cleaning up bloodstains, but knowing the men in my extended family, I had a feeling they could probably be considered experts at this point.

As outrageous as that sounded, it made complete sense. One thing I’d always missed about my family and the chosen family that surrounded them was that they definitely stuck together and got shit done - something I appreciated more and more the older I got.

And now, I was one of the group that would do the same thing because I planned to stick around and do whatever it took to protect Zoey and the rest of my family. I’d proven that a few nights ago in this house, and I’d do it all again if necessary.

And I’d do it without losing a wink of sleep.